1. Driver License For Kids Printable
2. Free Printable Kids Drivers License

A backseat driver is a passenger in a vehicle who is not controlling the vehicle but who excessively comments on the driver's actions and decisions in an attempt to control the vehicle.^[1] A backseat driver may be uncomfortable with the skills of the driver, feel out of control since they are not driving the vehicle, or want to tutor the driver while they are at the wheel. Many comment on the speed of the vehicle, or give alternative directions.^[2]

Map Activity Road Trip Printable. The free printable map activity is my favorite part of this kids’ travel binder. It’s perfect for elementary-aged kids on up because they can follow along as you travel. The listing, Back Seat Driver's License has ended. This is a Back Seat Driver's License. Perfect for the person who is always accused of being a back seat driver. Issued by 'G.M.I. Nervous' This will get a good laugh when you pull it out and show the driver you DO have a back seat driver's license.

Some backseat drivers exhibit this type of behavior simply because they feel the driver is taking risks they would not normally take, while others may have other reasons to be nervous, such as when the driver has a poor driving record.^[3] However, the practice is dangerous and instead more likely to cause crashes, according to the Daily Mail, citing a 'Driver Distraction' study by Esure.^[4] A survey of 2,000 British drivers in early 2018 found that 70% motorists found backseat driving an annoying habit and that life partners were those most likely to interfere. Although only 21% of motorists admitted to backseat driving, half said they have been in arguments due to interfering comments, and five percent admitted to accidentally jumping a red light during an argument with a backseat driver.^[5]

Examples in context[edit]

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The term has been used for technology, such as devices installed in a car which observe the driving through electronic means, and inform the driver or a third party.^[6]

The Maine Department of Transportation^[7] has a web poster 'Are you a Good Back Seat Driver?' asking 'True or False: Being a Backseat Driver means it is okay to be noisy or distracting to the driver as long as you are giving them safety tips.' The Inland Register^[8] produced by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Spokane makes use of it in a sermon: 'Even our phrase 'back-seat driver' reflects this new-found freedom. Which of us who has graduated to the status of driver enjoys a passenger, especially one out of reach in the back seat, who seems to know how to drive better than we do?'

The Art of being a Backseat Driver^[9] in the San Bernardino County Sun summarizes various comments of the sort otherwise found in multiple blogs. Some are specialized, such as the Back Seat Driving blog,^[10] formerly the 'LA Car Blog'.

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Appearances in culture[edit]

A famous example of a back seat driver is Hyacinth Bucket on the British sitcom Keeping Up Appearances.^[4] The term is also used in Backseat Drivers from Beyond the Stars, an episode of Invader Zim. A poem 'The Backseat Driver' by Parick G Hughes appears in the Northern Ireland BBC.^[11]

The act of giving instructions to a driver has been used as a humorous idea for a game. In All things Considered^[12] on NPR for July 19, 2006, there is an account of a 'Back Seat Driver competition in Forest City, Iowa. [...] The event—in which a driver races backward while blindfolded and instructed by the voice of a companion over an intercom—is in its eighth year.' It has even been noticed by People's Daily.^[13]

In Mighty Morphin Power Rangers season 3 episode, Master Vile and the Metallic Armor, showed Rito being a backseat driver. He asks Master Vile 'Are We There yet?' and annoyed him. Rito gets yelled at by him for the whining and not letting him work in peace. Master Vile threaten to turn the Space Skull around and send him back to Rita and Zedd if he doesn't behave himself.

A couple of episodes in Power Rangers Zeo shows example of backseat drivers with Rita Repulsa and Goldar in the motorhome base they share with Lord Zedd, Finster, and Rito. On their way back to the palace, Rita's constant demanding lands the base a flat tire, which she and Zedd blame each other. After getting the tire fixed and back driving, Goldar shows up with the map that Zedd needs and unintentionally proceeds to be another backseat driver by overly trying to help them with the map that lands the motorhome base with yet another flat tire. Surely, Rita and Zedd blames him for the mess. Another example of a backseat driver is Rito whose constant asking of 'Are We There Yet?', irritated both Zedd and Rita to the point they threaten to kick him out of the motorhome and make him walk the rest of the way to the palace.

The earlier episodes of The Simpsons shows examples of backseat drivers in the form of Bart and Lisa annoying Homer to no end with their asking of 'Are We There Yet?', causing him to snap at them. One time in season 2's Oh Brother, Where Art Thou while driving to Detroit to visit Herb Powell, Marge actually lost her patience with Bart and Lisa being backseat drivers. She snapped at the two for misbehaving themselves in the car and makes her threat clear that she will have Homer turn the car around and take them home at once if they don't behave themselves. Under threat of being returned home and not being able to see Herb, Bart and Lisa behave themselves. When he complained about not meeting Herb, Marge reassures Homer that they will see him. She only threatened Bart and Lisa to return home because it was the only way the two will behave during the drive.

Related idioms[edit]

Armchair quarterback refers to a sports fan who thinks that he or she knows better than the players themselves and is always eager to shout advice, whether live at the game or, more commonly, sitting at home in a chair (hence 'armchair').^{[citation needed]} Similarly, the phrase armchair general is used to refer to somebody who is not in the military but thinks that he or she knows better than the generals who plan military operations. This term can be used in many of the same situations as backseat driver. In Italy, the term umarell refers to men of retirement age who pass time watching roadworks, offering unwanted advice, similar to a 'sidewalk superintendent' in English.

References[edit]

1. ^'Backseat driver - Merriam-Webster Online'. Merriam-Webster. Retrieved 31 January 2014.
2. ^Eisenstein, Paul (9 June 2013). 'Who's the Worst Backseat Driver?'. CNBC. Retrieved 2 February 2014.
3. ^'How to Cure Your Inner 'Back Seat Driver''. myNationwide. December 2013. Retrieved 31 January 2014.
4. ^ ^abMassey, Ray (22 June 2011). 'Back-seat drivers cause one in seven accidents and near misses... but the chances are you're guilty of it too'. Daily Mail. Retrieved February 2, 2014.
5. ^Elsworthy, Emma (6 June, 2018). All the signs you're a back-seat driver, according to study. The Independent.
6. ^Eisenberg, Anne (February 4, 2007). 'These Back Seat Drivers Are Moving Up Front'. The New York Times. Retrieved 2 February 2014.
7. ^'Archived copy'(PDF). Archived from the original(PDF) on 2006-11-07. Retrieved 2007-04-07.CS1 maint: Archived copy as title (link)
8. ^'Archived copy'. Archived from the original on 2007-06-25. Retrieved 2007-04-07.CS1 maint: Archived copy as title (link)
9. ^'Archived copy'. Archived from the original on 2006-10-17. Retrieved 2007-04-07.CS1 maint: Archived copy as title (link)
10. ^'Home - LA Car'. www.lacar.com.
11. ^http://www.bbc.co.uk/northernireland/learning/getwritingni/sp_ph_backseat.shtml Writer's Showcase
12. ^'Who's the Best Back Seat Driver?'.
13. ^http://english.people.com.cn/200607/19/eng20060719_284572.html

External links[edit]

• The dictionary definition of back-seat driver at Wiktionary

A backseat driver is a person who gives unwanted or unneeded advice. The term backseat driver can literally mean someone who advises a driver unnecessarily on where or how to drive. People who drive cabs or limousines would generally have a backseat driver in the truest sense of the literal meaning since their passengers tend to ride in the back seat.

Since those who are paid to drive for a living can reasonably be expected to possess a certain amount of expertise, both in finding locations and in general driving skill, a backseat driver can be an extreme irritant. Being told how to drive or how to get somewhere eliminates respect for the driver’s professionalism.

More often, a backseat driver sits in the front seat, right next to the driver. This could be a spouse or friend that might comment on the speed at which one drives a car or the lack of adherence to the rules of the road. A spousal backseat driver could instead make little moans or shrieks about a driving experience. Again, advice of the backseat driver is unwanted and often unwarranted.